A Day to Forget
by TwinShadows6
Summary: Morwen's life has always been dull. But that may change when a seemingly harmless trip to the market heralds something truly frightening. One-shot.


**Well, hello readers. So, the main reason I wrote this was because I wanted to write something else and Fire Emblem wouldn't shut up. So once it was all said and done, I figured I might as well upload it and see what you all think. Naturally, this is a one-shot, but I do plan writing a full story on Awakening, but it'll be an entirely new story and not chapters added on. But I thought that I'd at least let you see the idea and find out if you like it or not. Unfortunately, I am in the middle of another huge work and I don't really want to try and complicate my life by writing two stories. So this will be put to the side until my Elder Scrolls fanfic is finished. Also my Avatar's name is Morwen to make it more original. Speaking of which, I do not own Fire Emblem Awakening or the series but Morwen is my original character. So I don't ramble on, please review, favorite, follow, and/or PM me.**

I laughed as the wind ran across the long grass, whistling through the trees in the distance and up and down the hills to me. Butterflies fluttered over to me. I stayed still long enough for one to perch on my hand. Its feet tickled me and I laughed again. It flew off, and I watched it join its friends.

"Morwen!" I sighed. I may be five, but I already knew my mother's voice. And right now I knew that calling back "what" was a bad idea.

I got up and ran up the hill to our small cottage. We lived just outside of a village so small that only the people who lived here would know its name. Our house wasn't as far away as most of the farms, but we didn't live in the actual town.

The area around us was filled with hilly farmland. At the very horizon was the thick forest that had been cut down to create what I saw now. I always wondered what was in there, but Mother strictly warned me that it was too dangerous to go near there. I had heard a story from an old man in town last week. He affirmed my mother's warning by telling us about three reckless young boys who had gone into the woods when he was our age. They were never found.

I reached the top of the hill, where my mother stared down at me with her hands fisted on her hips, the way she always does when she's angry. I looked down at my feet with my arms crossed protectively across my chest. "Sorry," I muttered to the ground.

"'Sorry' isn't going to cut it, young lady." My mother chastised. "I told you that I wanted to go to the market after I finished the laundry. You were supposed to be ready by now."

"I thought I had more time…" I argued weakly.

"Well, you could have made sure you were ready and _then_ went outside to play." My mother said. I continued to stare at my bare feet. "Now get inside and get dressed."

I quickly did I was told. The cottage we lived in had two rooms. The main room went in the shape of an L, so that the short end was in the far left back when standing in the doorway. Within that small area was a fireplace, now dead, with a small brown woolen rug and an old rocking chair. In the bend of the L was a small table and two chairs, the wood cracked from being handed down several generations before reaching us. And to my right was the small kitchen, as simple and worn as the rest of the furniture in the house.

I hurried into the second room, which combined with the L to make a perfect rectangle. My mother's bed was in the middle of the far wall, right in front of the window. A trunk sat at its foot and a tiny nightstand with a candle on the left. My bed was to the right of me, the headboard against the right wall. A smaller trunk was at the foot and a tiny table was at the only open side, another candle the only thing on it.

I opened my trunk and peered down at my clothes. Right now, I had on a shirt and pants. Boy clothes. It had taken a lot of begging to get Mother to buy them, but only on the condition that I couldn't wear them into town or anywhere else where there'd be people. Something about it not being ladylike. I didn't see the point. The only family close to nobility was one that ran the town, and even then he never came outside. It wasn't like I was going to find the 'shining knight' that older girls talked about. And even then, he'd find out, right?

With no time to think, I pulled out one of my dresses and changed. It was a simple white and my shoes brown. I washed my face and brushed my hair. I looked in the mirror to make sure I hadn't messed it up. My hair was long and loose, with bangs and a bow off to the side. My dress brought out the dark purple of my hair and dark brown eyes.

Mother came in and quickly looked at me. "Honey, come on! I want to get going!" She looked me over again. "Don't forget your gloves!" She closed the door.

I sighed. I got the worn brown leather pieces and threw them onto the bed. I forced the lid down with a loud noise, hoping my mother heard. I hated my gloves, more than dresses. I never understood why mother made me wear them whenever I left the house. I guessed it had something to do with my birthmark.

As I put them on I looked at it. It was on my right hand, large and a purple lighter than my hair. The mark was weird, with a lot of lines and shapes. I've never seen anything like it before and Mother would never tell me about it. I always thought it was kind of scary and I guess that's why I had to wear gloves. But I still hated it. It wasn't fair that I had to hide it. It never did anything.

Finally ready, I headed out the door. Mother was waiting impatiently for me. I noticed how much I looked like her. Adults always say that I'm the 'spitting image' of my mother. I don't see it, but my skin, face, eyes, and hair have the same color as hers, though mother likes her hair in a ponytail.

I followed her out and watched her lock the door. "Come on," she said as she turned to me. We both started down the dirt road to the town.

_Skip_

The market was the busiest place in town. People were buying and selling all sorts of things. The merchants were yelling what they had for sell, but I could never hear them over everyone else talking.

Mother led me by the hand to each of the stalls. The path we took was the one we always took when we went to the market. Bored, I watched Mother and the merchant talk about what he had for sell. Mother would always try to buy it for less than what he sold it for, and soon they would argue. Watching them, I couldn't help but remember Mother telling me to not fight with the other kids, but I knew better than to say anything. Still, adults are strange.

Over the sounds of the people around me, I heard a laugh. Someone tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned, I saw one of the village boys running past me. He was about the same age as me and had messy brown hair. Out of all the boys, I actually liked him because he didn't tease me for being a girl.

"Hey, Morwen! There's a tent!" he yelled as he ran past adults. I looked at where he was going, excited. Unlike the merchants at the wooden stalls, merchants who used tents traveled to other places. They even went to different kingdoms, and bought things there that you couldn't find anywhere else. Unfortunately, Mother always said that things there were expensive, and so it was hard to get her to buy me something.

Finally I found it farther down the street. It was made up of a dirty white cloth and a lady with red hair in a ponytail and red clothing was selling things. I squinted and saw that she was selling toys.

I quickly looked back to my mother, who had finished arguing with the man and he was wrapping the bread and putting it into my mother's basket. I tugged on her sleeve and she looked down. "Mother! There are toys over there!" I said excitedly and pointed in the direction of the tent. Mother smiled and shook her head. I looked at her, not understanding. "Mother, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, honey. Yes, you can go." She said. I smiled and started to run off. "Morwen!" she yelled and I stopped. "I'm going to finish shopping. I want you to stay there, alright? Don't leave the tent."

"Alright!" I yelled back and ran down the street. I had to push past some adults who blocked the way and had to say "sorry" when they looked at me. Finally I made my way over to the tent. A lot of other kids were already inside, where there were boxes of different toys. I wasn't sure where to start. Some boxes held dolls or children's books. One was open and filled with wooden swords and another had toy soldiers. Still, even more toys were pressed into any place they could go, so that it seemed impossible to count.

I picked a box in the corner and started to look through it. Several of the dolls weren't interesting and I already had a woolen one Mother made to look just like me. I didn't bother looking at the swords; Mother would never buy one for me. Unfortunately, Mother wouldn't buy a lot of the toys in here because they were big or cost a lot.

I saw one box in a corner in the back. I walked over to it and saw that the lid was partly off. I looked back but the merchant was busy talking to a group of kids about a toy soldier that had been enchanted to move. The lid was a bit heavy, but I was able to get it off enough to see inside. I was short so I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach inside.

I pulled out a wooden toy shaped like a box. There was different carvings on it that could be pushed or pulled. Playing with one part caused it another to appear or disappear. The top could open but there was no latch. I realized that the toy was a puzzle and played with the sides randomly. I stubbornly tried to open the box but the sides still did nothing. I stood there and thought harder on how to open it.

One of the girls screamed. Scared, I looked but saw that one of the boys had put a bug on her shoulder. She screamed for someone to get it off while she shook and slapped her hair and dress. A few of the parents ran to calm the girl while the mother of the boy pulled him aside and talked to him in a low, angry voice. I knew the boy didn't care, but he put on a fake guilty face to avoid getting in more trouble.

I turned back to my puzzle but stopped. A man stood at the entrance to the tent. He wore a black cloak with a hood, so I couldn't see his face or clothes, but he was tall and skinny. He stared at me. He looked relaxed, so I knew he had been staring a long time. I suddenly felt cold and very lonely and knew that screaming wouldn't help. He tilted his head. He knew I had seen him and he didn't care.

He glanced out to the street, and was suddenly no longer relaxed. He looked at me again before turning and walking down the street. Mother came into the tent a minute later. I was scared when I saw her face because _she_ looked scared. I didn't think adults were scared of anything. So why did Mother look scared now?

She hid it. "Honey, are you done looking?" she asked in the same voice she always talked to me with.

"Mother, is something wrong?" I asked.

"Why would there be something wrong?" Mother questioned.

I pointed toward the entrance. "There was a man there."

Mother looked behind her. Nobody was there except a few parents watching the other kids. "Morwen, it was probably a traveler. They come through sometimes." My mother explained. I gave up trying to argue. But I could still remember her face. _Why would Mother be scared of anything?_

"Find everything alright?" The merchant asked when she came to us.

"Ah, yes." Mother said. She turned to me. "Was there anything you wanted?" In reply I held up the puzzle that was still in my hand.

The merchant seemed surprised. She spoke to my mother then. She told my mother that most children didn't like them because they were hard to solve. That was why that the toy was so low in price. Because they were cheap, Mother bought it for me.

When we left the tent, Mother told me that she had finished shopping and it was time to go home. I played with my puzzle as we walked. Since the street to the house was quiet, I found that the puzzle made sounds when played with. I decided that the sounds helped solve the puzzle and kept trying to understand them. I was so focused on the box that I tripped on a pebble. Mother saw me and caught me before I hit the ground.

"Morwen, you need to watch where you're going." My mother scolded.

"Sorry." I said. I looked down at my puzzle.

"Honey, just wait until we get home to play with that. I don't need you scraping your knee." Mother said. I nodded and held the toy at my side. I really wanted to play with it, but didn't and kept looking ahead. Mother walked fast, as if she really wanted to get home, but it wouldn't be dark soon. I did my best to keep up, but kept wondering that the day seemed strange.

_Skip_

Mother made dinner when we got home and it was dark when we finished. It soon began to storm and Mother started a fire and sat in her rocking chair to sew. I sat in front and pressed and pulled at the sides of the box. Two of the sounds were familiar when I played them together. Playing the two sounds with others made me remember a song by a famous violinist and I knew that that was answer to the puzzle. It took a little, but I finally played the full song. When it ended, the top of the box clicked open.

It was empty, but I still got up to tell Mother. "Mother, look! I did it! I did it!"

Mother stopped sewing to take the box from my hands. Her eyes widened. "You sure did. Was there anything in there?" she asked. When I shook my head, she looked disappointed. "Well, I guess you can put something in there yourself."

I smiled. "Like anything I want to hide from you."

Mother really looked at me then. "And just what do you have that you don't want me to see, young lady?" She asked but she sounded like she was joking. I giggled and took the box back. Mother laughed as she looked toward the window.

I had gone to sit back down when the thunder came at the loudest it had been with a flash of lightning. I jumped and screamed, holding my puzzle tightly. I looked to Mother and expected here to be there to tell me that the thunder wouldn't hurt me, that nothing was wrong.

Mother was still looking at the window. Her faced was just as scared as when she had come into the merchant's tent. "Morwen." She said in a quiet voice that made me cold. "Go to your room. Get under my bed, and stay there."

I tried to speak, but Mother shushed me and said the same thing over and over again. I ran into the bedroom and closed the door, but didn't go to the bed. I waited by the door and jumped when I heard a terrible noise that wasn't thunder. I was scared but still opened the door a crack.

The front door had been knocked down and smoke came from its sides. And on top of the door stood the man from the market. He still wore the black cloak, but now his hood was off. His face was narrow and sharp. His skin was dark, but seemed wrong. His eyes were slanted and red. He had a long pointed beard and it was the same color as the night sky. His hair spread out from the back of his head and was the same color was the beard.

His smile was mean. Across the room, Mother looked at him angrily. "My, my, it certainly has been a long time, Seraphina."

"Validar." Mother said the man's name like she was talking about a mouse that had gotten into the flour. "How are you here?"

He laughed. "My dear, you are not as clever as you hope to be. And you of all people should know that I'd follow you to the ends of the earth to take back what is mine!"

"You can never have her. I won't ever let you take my daughter from me!" Mother said and suddenly raised a sword. The handle was yellow and the blade was jagged, like a lightning bolt. I remembered the swords the guards wore, and thought that Mother's sword wouldn't hurt the man in the doorway.

The man, Validar, opened a purple tome that he had in his hand. His anger was like my mother's. "You foolish woman! Morwen would achieve greatness! Are so blind that you would deny her this?"

Mother didn't answer. Instead she swung the sword and thunder magic shot towards the man. He dodged and flipped open his tome. I had never seen a true battle, and I lost track of Mother and the man. They both moved fast and magic seemed to go everywhere. It seemed to end quickly, and with the man shooting purple magic at my mother. It seemed to explode and spread out like mist. As it cleared, the man lowered his tome.

Mother lay on ground in front of the fire, looking up at the man. I had never felt so scared before, but Mother's face just looked tired. It was when she didn't get up that I saw that the front of her dress and the side of her head was red. I threw my hand over my mouth so I wouldn't scream. All the blood made me want to throw up but I didn't. I wasn't scared anymore, but I felt like I was dreaming. I wanted to be dreaming.

"You used to be better than that." The man said. "A pity."

Mother opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't. She looked at me and I thought she was going to cry. She closed her eyes, and stopped moving.

I ran from the door and got under mother's bed, moving as close to the wall as I could get. I started crying and shaking. I had to put my hands in my mouth so I wouldn't scream. Mother was dead. And maybe I was next.

Something grabbed my leg and pulled me out from under the bed. I screamed as I saw the man's face and kicked at his leg, but missed. He pulled me to my feet, causing me to drop the puzzle box I had been holding the whole time, and spread his hand out in front of my face. Magic sprayed in front of me, causing my head to hurt. I stopped screaming as my senses went fuzzy.

"Goodnight, Morwen. Sleep well." The man said before everything went dark.

**So, you can see how that can affect the story. Quick question: did the point of view sound realistically like a kid as young as Morwen would sound? And if not, why? And would you like this idea if I expanded it into a full story that included the main plotline of the game (the plotline naturally be changed)? It'd be a big help, thanks.**

**Also, if you're some of you Fire Emblem fans are also fans of The Elder Scrolls, I have an ongoing story. It's called _The Black Eagle: Ascent_ if you want to read it. Well, that's all for now. Merry Chirstmas and if you don't celebrate that then Happy Holidays and Happy New Year's!**


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